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NEW YORK -- The National Hockey League today announced the cancellation of the 2013 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic. The game was scheduled for Jan. 1 between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich. In addition, the League announced all SiriusXM Hockeytown Winter Festival events scheduled for Dec. 16-31 at Comerica Park in Detroit are cancelled.

The next NHL Winter Classic – featuring the Red Wings and Maple Leafs - and Hockeytown Winter Festival will take place at the University of Michigan and Comerica Park, respectively. Those who have purchased tickets for the 2012-13 events can either receive refunds or maintain their tickets for the future events. Ticket refund information for the 2013 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic and SiriusXM Hockeytown Winter Festival can be found at: nhl.com/winterclassicrefund.

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The Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday announced the addition of eight more players who will participate in the festivities surrounding the 2012 Maple Leafs vs. Red Wings Alumni Showdown on Dec. 31 at Detroit's Comerica Park as part of the 2012 SiriusXM Hockeytown Winter Festival.

A seven-time participant in the NHL All-Star Game, Unger appeared in 216 consecutive games for the Red Wings after being acquired in a trade with the Maple Leafs on March 3, 1968. Unger went on to set the League's "iron man" record (later surpassed by Doug Jarvis) by skating in 914 straight contests during his 1,105-games career that included stints with Edmonton, Los Angeles, St. Louis and Calgary.

Selected by the Red Wings in the fifth round (No. 88) of the 1983 Entry Draft, Klima defected to Detroit from Czechoslovakia prior to the 1985-86 season, making him the first player in history to go directly from an Iron Curtain nation to a United States-based NHL team. Klima went on to appear in 293 games for the Red Wings during his first stint in Detroit, tallying 222 points on 129 goals and 93 assists. Traded to Edmonton on Nov. 2, 1989, Klima went on to skate with Edmonton, Tampa Bay, Los Angeles and Pittsburgh prior to returning to the Red Wings in 1998-99, tallying one goal in 13 appearances to finish his NHL career with 313 goals and 260 assists in 786 games.

Acquired from the Devils 11 games into the 1990-91 season, Ysebaert spent 210 of his 532 career NHL games with the Red Wings, totaling 84 goals and 86 assists for Detroit. Ysebaert became the first Red Wing to win the NHL's Plus/Minus Award in 1991-92 after finishing his first full season in the League with a mark of plus-44.

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The Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs announced Thursday the addition of seven players who will participate in the festivities surrounding the 2012 Maple Leafs vs. Red Wings Alumni Showdown on Dec. 31 at Comerica Park as part of the 2012 SiriusXM Hockeytown Winter Festival.

Detroit has added defenseman Aaron Ward as well as forwards Red Berenson, Jimmy Carson and Dennis Polonich. In addition to having suited up for the Red Wings, all four of these players were members of either minor league or collegiate teams in Michigan during their respective careers; Berenson and Ward both attended the University of Michigan prior to turning pro while Carson – a metropolitan Detroit minor-hockey product – and Polonich each competed in the International Hockey League for various Michigan-based clubs.

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There's little doubt Hall of Fame coach Scotty Bowman will take a trip down memory lane when he steps behind the bench for the 2013 Winter Classic alumni game on New Year's Eve at Comerica Park in Detroit.

The Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday announced the addition of nine players scheduled to participate in alumni game festivities on Dec. 31, one day before the current NHL teams meet at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor in the Bridgestone Winter Classic.

According to TSN, outgoing Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment chairman Larry Tanenbaum asked both of them to take part in the game.

Sundin, who will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame this fall, spent 13 seasons with the Maple Leafs, 11 as captain. He holds the franchise records for most 20-goal seasons (13), most 30-goal seasons (10), most game-winning goals (79) and most regular-season overtime goals (14).

DETROIT -- It's going to be a December of firsts for outdoor hockey games when the SiriusXM Hockeytown Winter Festival begins Dec. 15 in the Motor City.

That includes the annual Alumni Showdown, which will have a new look this time around.

After receiving a great amount of interest from their alumni groups in playing at Comerica Park, the host Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs will play two alumni outdoor games Dec. 31 -- the first time that's been done in the event's brief history.

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Comerica Park in Detroit, Mich., will be transformed into a winter wonderland for hockey enthusiasts during the last two weeks of December when the 2012 Hockeytown Winter Festival is staged for fans of all ages.

Olympia Entertainment on Tuesday unveiled a preliminary schedule of the Hockeytown Winter Festival, which is a prelude to the 2013 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic on Jan. 1. The Festival will begin Dec. 15 and conclude with an alumni game featuring NHL legends from the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs on New Year's Eve.

On New Year's Day, the NHL Winter Classic will be held between the Red Wings and Maple Leafs at Michigan Stadium.

Here is a preliminary list of dates and events comprising the Hockeytown Winter Festival:

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The Detroit Red Wings' alumni team apparently will have to find itself another captain.

Hours after the NHL awarded the 2013 Bridgestone Winter Classic to Detroit, legendary Wings captain Steve Yzerman said he doesn't plan to play in the game between the Wings' and Toronto Maple Leafs' alumni at Comerica Park on Dec. 31.

"It will be a fantastic event with two great organizations at a storied venue," Yzerman said via email to Eric Lacy of the Detroit News. "The perfect location and matchup, this is wonderful for the NHL.

He's only 17 but he can see the ice so well and he moves the puck and goes to the open ice all the time, so I just think he's a player that is ready to play in the NHL. I'm really looking forward to coaching someone like this.

— U.S. National Junior Team coach Ron Wilson on Auston Matthews, the projected No. 1 pick of the 2016 NHL Draft